Valentine's Day
by Xanagar
Summary: Go-onger. A short piece regarding Hant, Gunpei, and a very special holiday. Boy-love; don't like, don't read.


**Overview**

Title: Valentine's Day

Author: Xanagar

Part: One-Shot

Series: Engine Sentai Go-onger

Genre: Romance

Pairing(s): Gunpei x Hant

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of _Engine Sentai Go-onger_, nor did I gain any profit from producing this fan fiction. It was made for entertainment purposes only.

**Warning(s)**

This one-shot will focus on two male characters, and therefore, you should expect boy-love; don't like, don't read.

**Author's Note**

I found this coupling to be absolutely superfluous in terms of what writing material I could create out of them. They are such an obvious couple, too, what with all the affectionate moments they have during the series. So I took the opportunity given to me, and decided to create a one-shot centered on a certain holiday. Naturally, Hant and Gunpei would be the protagonists. As you can imagine, the only antagonist in these types of stories is fear of jumping head-first into love, and maybe even a little sexual tension.

Valentine's Day

He caressed the smooth exterior of the box; his fingers traced across its brilliant white coloring, the way it fit so perfectly in his hand, the velvet ribbon wrapped so lovingly around it. He wondered to himself how something so small and insignificant could hold so much meaning behind it, could feel so weightless, and yet so incredibly heavy at the same time.

This would be his opportunity, his chance to finally make his intentions known. Things could fall apart, he knew - he expected them to do so. Gunpei had never come across as the type to be interested in other men, much less men like him. They'd always managed to be affectionate towards one another, to keep each other safe from harm. In a sense, Gunpei had practically taken him underneath his wing as a younger brother. He could talk to Gunpei if he was feeling troubled. He could talk to Gunpei about anything. And yet, as he stood in the doorway of the small RV, their Ginjiro, he felt more alone and helpless than he ever had before.

He looked down the small box once again, and stared intently at the tiny thing; he imagined his whole heart could very well exist inside.

---

"_Can I help you with anything, sir?"_

"_Oh, I don't- I mean, perhaps..."_

"_Yes?"_

"_I'm looking for something for a friend. Something nice."_

"_Ah, I see. Well, I think I have just the thing, something 'nice', as you put it. Here we are - does this look appropriate enough?"_

"_Ye- Yes! That's just what I was looking for. He'll love this! This is perfect!"_

"'_He', sir?"_

"_Yeah! His name is Gunpei."_

"_I see."_

"_He's always so cool, so calm, and he's really smart, too! And he can make his hair stand up really cool, but I could never do that, because mine is just too flat."_

"_This is one of our finest products, sir. It is especially perfect as a gift."_

"_I hope he likes it. I saved up all the money I had so that I could get him something. I really hope it makes him happy."_

"_If I may, sir. Would I be correct in assuming that this friend, this Gunpei, means an awful lot to you?"_

"_Yes. He really, really does."_

---

He knocked, ignoring the annoying echo his fist made as it connected to the large, overbearing door. Momentarily, he heard nothing but silence. Then, a dim, yet incredibly deep voice. "Come in."

Obeying the command, he stepped inside, and took notice of the surroundings. There were no lamps lit; the only visible light was what the sun provided through the small, singular window. Training equipment sat scattered about the floor. Papers of different sorts lay in disorganized fashion on the tables. And there was Gunpei, sitting alone, reading next to the meager light, his face stern, surmounted in concentration. Hant hesitated, wondered if he should just leave the other man alone for now, until he found himself being addressed directly.

"Hant."

He shivered. Silently, he wondered if electricity were flowing through his body at this very moment, as the word met his ears. "Hi, Gunpei."

"You went out? I haven't seen you all day." The other man finally looked up from his book. He smiled. "A shame for you to leave me here all by myself."

"Oh," Hant muttered, trying to sound inconspicuous, feeling somewhat guilty. "Sosuke and the others aren't back yet?"

"Not yet."

They'd wanted to spend Valentine's Day together, Hant remembered. Realistically, they wouldn't be back until tonight. In the back of his mind, Hant imagined himself spending the holiday with someone, someone who he would take out to eat for ramen, or maybe something _better_ than ramen; someone who would cuddle with him when he needed to be held; someone who would walk with him in the park with a spare arm to wrap around his waist; someone who would touch him, would kiss him. Distantly, he told himself that there had to be a start, an ignition.

"Hey, Gunpei?" His voice sounded rather shaky, a bit weak. He felt briefly ashamed of this, believed he should sound more confident in himself. Of course, he felt anything but confidence at this very moment.

Gunpei turned a page of his book; Hant watched, absorbed the precision and meticulousness of the other man's fingers. "Hmm?"

"I... I wanted to... I mean, I had this idea that since it was Valentine's Day..."

"You wanted to do what?" Gunpei sat the small book aside, looked up once again at his comrade, who appeared to be having trouble speaking. "You're not making any sense, Hant."

Hant closed his eyes; he told himself to breathe. "What I mean is that... it's Valentine's Day, right?"

"Yes. I think it is."

When the other man said nothing else, Hant forcefully continued. "And you're supposed to show someone you love how much you care about them on Valentine's Day, right?"

Gunpei arched an eyebrow. "Yes."

The tiny white box remained in his hand. He could still feel the softness of the ribbon, the hard edges as they scraped so diligently, so impatiently against his palm. "And, well..."

"Well?" Gunpei encouraged.

Hant gulped, gripped his hand tighter around the object in his hand, then finally said, "I decided... to do just that."

Gunpei watched his friend outstretch his arm and open his palm; he looked upon the item, the small box, its pale, fantastic color as it contrasted with shades of red. Then, there was silence. The two men stood together, waiting for something, anything to happen. "You bought me something."

It was not a question, Hant knew. It was a statement, bold and brash. "Yes."

"You bought me something for Valentine's Day."

"Yes."

Gunpei sighed, even managed another smile. He tried again. "You bought _me _something for _Valentine's Day_."

Was this rejection? Is this what it felt like to freeze over, to shatter into a million unfathomable pieces? Hant quickly shook his head, tried to force his voice steady as he spoke. "I'm sorry. I can take it back if you want me to. It was probably stupid of me to go out and do something like this; I should have thought it through-"

"Hant-"

"-it's just that I _really_ wanted to get you something, because that's what you're supposed to _do_ on Valentine's Day-"

"Hant, you-"

"-and I thought that maybe if I got you something, then it would help me to tell you-"

"_Hant_."

This seemed to be enough to make Hant cease his rambling. Gunpei stood up, walked over. He looked down at his gift; he said, "You bought me something for Valentine's Day."

Hant sighed, feeling fatigued, defeated. "Yes."

Then, the faint touch of a hand. The warmth of another body closing in as Hant felt himself being pulled forward into the other man's embrace. It was a hug, but it felt like so much more than a hug. Gunpei was much taller, and Hant swore he could hear a steady heartbeat against his chest. "Thank you," he heard him say.

Hant couldn't possibly describe the emotions as they ravaged throughout his body. Happiness, excitement, joy, even ecstasy to a larger extent. There were too many too decipher, and so he let them alone; he focused instead on the man holding him so tightly, the familiar smell of his clothes, the unlimited knowledge buried in his voice. He allowed the small box to be taken from his hand. He watched as his friend gradually opened it.

Gunpei stared. For a moment, Hant felt his heart skip a beat. "It's a ring."

Hant nodded. "I heard that people buy rings for people they care about, as a sign of friendship." He scratched his neckline, laughed modestly. "Or something like that, I think."

"It's a beautiful gift, Hant," Gunpei muttered, taking the small, circular thing from its container and holding it in his hand, watching its golden sparkle radiate in the faint light of the room. "But I haven't gotten you anything."

Hant quickly interjected. "No, that's fine. I didn't expect you to get me anything. You don't have to."

Gunpei stood motionless, his eyes never straying from the gift he'd received. He said softly, "I'll have to get you something."

"You really don't have to. I just said-"

He didn't finish. He felt a hand grasp his chin, pull him forward. He heard, "Don't worry. I'll find something to give you."

Whether or not there were any hidden intentions in the statement, or any innuendos, Hant couldn't be sure. But at least he had been able to say everything he'd always wanted to say with the help of the small gift. Now, he would wait and see what could happen next - anything felt possible. But for right now, he was happy, and unimaginably content. He watched as Gunpei took his ring and slid it onto his ring finger. For a small moment, the world might have exploded with light.

Owari

12/04/08

Xanagar


End file.
